There’s a lot of pressure to look like you’ve got it handled as a parent, especially in supermarkets. And so now for a bit of fun…
Here’s how to fake parenthood when you need some breathing space.
1. Catch an episode of Play School and copy one of their art projects (even download their website templates) then marvel at your early childhood education skills. Your toddler will bask in your greatness.
2. Keep wicker baskets in every room to toss toys into at the end of the day and call your decorating style ‘country eclectic’.
3. Hide the laundry pile at the back of a cupboard when friends or family come over and enjoy your 'tidy' home for a few hours.
4. Better still, ‘home-bake’ some mini apple pies for mother’s group / school courtesy of the local bakery. Sprinkle a dusting of icing sugar over the pies after taking to them with a rolling pin (to squash them up a bit to make them look ‘truly’ home-made).
In other words, cut yourself some slack. Laugh at the chaos of your life (you may as well), and give yourself the space to be ok as you are. Cut the smaller corners that will help you get through the day. Often your own expectations of yourself far exceed those of your kids or other people.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
MISS SCARLETT in the nursery with a laptop?
I'm pleased as punch to share with you my news of a new business I've just launched for mums ...
Time-savvy mums who want stylish solutions for their children will love ‘Miss Scarlett’ www.missscarlett.com.au
Providing gorgeous baby announcement cards, baby shower, birthday, and christening invitations, Miss Scarlett offers personalised design solutions for mums who want the option to email their invites.
By eliminating the cost and stress of printing and posting your own ‘Word Art’-attempt at an invitation or thank you card (nothing personal to the design challenged among us!), Miss Scarlett is every parent’s digital design suite.
I have always personally preferred not to spend hours collecting contact details, writing out invites and envelopes, and then heading off to the post. I also conducted an investigation into well-designed printed card options and nearly fell over at the cost.
By emailing your invites you can send them out to as many people as you like, anywhere in the world, anytime you choose, for free. Your Miss Scarlett card then becomes a keepsake for your family and friends to treasure, digitally forever.
The other good news is that Miss Scarlett offers a wide selection of stylish and cute designs for both boys and girls.
Having a boy and a girl, I know that girls can be much easier to shop and design for but boys often get left out so I made sure that mums of boys can choose from very cute designs from Burberry and Argyle inspired prints to tasteful polka dots and rocking horses, along with the more girly antique prams and pom pom designs.”
Please visit Miss Scarlett at www.missscarlett.com.au
Enjoy xo
Time-savvy mums who want stylish solutions for their children will love ‘Miss Scarlett’ www.missscarlett.com.au
Providing gorgeous baby announcement cards, baby shower, birthday, and christening invitations, Miss Scarlett offers personalised design solutions for mums who want the option to email their invites.
By eliminating the cost and stress of printing and posting your own ‘Word Art’-attempt at an invitation or thank you card (nothing personal to the design challenged among us!), Miss Scarlett is every parent’s digital design suite.
I have always personally preferred not to spend hours collecting contact details, writing out invites and envelopes, and then heading off to the post. I also conducted an investigation into well-designed printed card options and nearly fell over at the cost.
By emailing your invites you can send them out to as many people as you like, anywhere in the world, anytime you choose, for free. Your Miss Scarlett card then becomes a keepsake for your family and friends to treasure, digitally forever.
The other good news is that Miss Scarlett offers a wide selection of stylish and cute designs for both boys and girls.
Having a boy and a girl, I know that girls can be much easier to shop and design for but boys often get left out so I made sure that mums of boys can choose from very cute designs from Burberry and Argyle inspired prints to tasteful polka dots and rocking horses, along with the more girly antique prams and pom pom designs.”
Please visit Miss Scarlett at www.missscarlett.com.au
Enjoy xo
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Latest stats on Working Parents
Need a snapshot on what Australian working parents are currently thinking?
General Barriers and Triggers for Parents Returning to Work
The top 3 barriers for parents returning to work are lack of flexible jobs (90%), cost of child care (57%) and a general lack of self confidence (26%).
The main reasons for returning to work include income (85%), social interaction (50%), maintain skills (48%) and career aspirations (38%).
Workplace flexibility
Nearly 60% of CareerMums survey respondents stated that their current/previous employer did not have a flexible work or parental leave policy, or they were unaware that these policies existed.
o 35% of respondents said that working flexibly for their current/previous employer depended on their manager.
o 24% said that their employer embraced working flexibly.
o 16% of respondents identified that their workplace did not offer flexible work arrangements.
o 11% stated that senior management did not promote working flexibly so it was not encouraged.
Over 75% of respondents did not know about the Government’s new National Employment Standards (introduced in Jan 2010) which include the option for parents caring for children under school age to request flexible work arrangements.
Child Care Rebate
Around 55% of respondents stated that the 50 per cent child care rebate has made no difference to their plans to return to work or work more hours. Over 40% said that the rebate made some difference or a huge difference in either returning to work or working more hours.
Paid Parental Leave
90% of respondents believe that the Federal Government funded paid parental leave (due in November 2011) is an important employment entitlement.
Impact of the Economic Downturn for Parents
* 28% of respondents believe that the economic downturn will not affect their employment – so they expect to be in the same role and do not expect to be made redundant.
* 23% of respondents are considering a return to work sooner than expected.
* 15% indicated that there will be no change to their current plan of being on parental leave or staying at home with their children for an extended period of time.
* Around 10% of respondents have had their work hours reduced or their role has been made redundant.
Source: Survey stats from CareerMums www.careermums.com.au
General Barriers and Triggers for Parents Returning to Work
The top 3 barriers for parents returning to work are lack of flexible jobs (90%), cost of child care (57%) and a general lack of self confidence (26%).
The main reasons for returning to work include income (85%), social interaction (50%), maintain skills (48%) and career aspirations (38%).
Workplace flexibility
Nearly 60% of CareerMums survey respondents stated that their current/previous employer did not have a flexible work or parental leave policy, or they were unaware that these policies existed.
o 35% of respondents said that working flexibly for their current/previous employer depended on their manager.
o 24% said that their employer embraced working flexibly.
o 16% of respondents identified that their workplace did not offer flexible work arrangements.
o 11% stated that senior management did not promote working flexibly so it was not encouraged.
Over 75% of respondents did not know about the Government’s new National Employment Standards (introduced in Jan 2010) which include the option for parents caring for children under school age to request flexible work arrangements.
Child Care Rebate
Around 55% of respondents stated that the 50 per cent child care rebate has made no difference to their plans to return to work or work more hours. Over 40% said that the rebate made some difference or a huge difference in either returning to work or working more hours.
Paid Parental Leave
90% of respondents believe that the Federal Government funded paid parental leave (due in November 2011) is an important employment entitlement.
Impact of the Economic Downturn for Parents
* 28% of respondents believe that the economic downturn will not affect their employment – so they expect to be in the same role and do not expect to be made redundant.
* 23% of respondents are considering a return to work sooner than expected.
* 15% indicated that there will be no change to their current plan of being on parental leave or staying at home with their children for an extended period of time.
* Around 10% of respondents have had their work hours reduced or their role has been made redundant.
Source: Survey stats from CareerMums www.careermums.com.au
Working your Wardrobe
A few years ago I needed a serious corporate makeover, having spent the previous five years training young professionals in a wardrobe of cargos and jeans.
Not knowing where to get some objective, professional advice, I enlisted the services of a stylist who shopped me into a frenzy, taking me into stores I'd previously been too overwhelmed to step my groovy sneakers into, and updating my style to suit me and my ambitions. Summary: I shopped myself silly, and had a brilliant time. I had also reinvented my personal brand and invested in my career. I realised more than ever, you are what you wear.
I very much believe that we can find and express vital parts of our identity through the image we project.
Chatting to a new friend and stylist, Joanne Becker, over lunch last week, I asked her to share with us some of her best tips on styling for working mums...
"As women we can find it hard to feel confident in ourselves and the way we look after we have a baby. Who do we now want to be in the workplace and how should we present ourselves? Our priorities and life have changed dramatically and this can often lead to a crisis of confidence. What used to suit us no longer may and it's hard to feel empowered when you don’t feel comfortable and happy with your outward appearance.
As a personal stylist and a mum, I know this dilemma intimately. I really enjoy helping people re-discover their own personal style, to re-connect with their body through understanding what now works for you and your new life.
People can often view stylists as an indulgent service, but let’s face it, you use a trainer if you want to get in shape or a doctor if you’re feeling off-colour. Why shouldn’t you seek support and assistance around issues linked so closely to your sense of self, your career and confidence?
Most of the time it's not about spending lots of money on a new wardrobe. It can be as simple as being shown how to learn to love your existing wardrobe. It might just be about teaming some pieces together differently; or adding a belt to re-define a new body shape. Sometimes it's simply a matter of adding a couple of key pieces to transform an existing wardrobe into an exciting new one.
The money that can be saved by getting this right always surprises my clients. Their renewed sense of self esteem is priceless. Maybe it’s a strong new corporate look you’re after or just a wardrobe that is hassle free to fit in with your new lifestyle."
If you'd like to chat more with Joanne, please contact her on 0438 247 334 or joanne.becker@bigpond.com
Not knowing where to get some objective, professional advice, I enlisted the services of a stylist who shopped me into a frenzy, taking me into stores I'd previously been too overwhelmed to step my groovy sneakers into, and updating my style to suit me and my ambitions. Summary: I shopped myself silly, and had a brilliant time. I had also reinvented my personal brand and invested in my career. I realised more than ever, you are what you wear.
I very much believe that we can find and express vital parts of our identity through the image we project.
Chatting to a new friend and stylist, Joanne Becker, over lunch last week, I asked her to share with us some of her best tips on styling for working mums...
"As women we can find it hard to feel confident in ourselves and the way we look after we have a baby. Who do we now want to be in the workplace and how should we present ourselves? Our priorities and life have changed dramatically and this can often lead to a crisis of confidence. What used to suit us no longer may and it's hard to feel empowered when you don’t feel comfortable and happy with your outward appearance.
As a personal stylist and a mum, I know this dilemma intimately. I really enjoy helping people re-discover their own personal style, to re-connect with their body through understanding what now works for you and your new life.
People can often view stylists as an indulgent service, but let’s face it, you use a trainer if you want to get in shape or a doctor if you’re feeling off-colour. Why shouldn’t you seek support and assistance around issues linked so closely to your sense of self, your career and confidence?
Most of the time it's not about spending lots of money on a new wardrobe. It can be as simple as being shown how to learn to love your existing wardrobe. It might just be about teaming some pieces together differently; or adding a belt to re-define a new body shape. Sometimes it's simply a matter of adding a couple of key pieces to transform an existing wardrobe into an exciting new one.
The money that can be saved by getting this right always surprises my clients. Their renewed sense of self esteem is priceless. Maybe it’s a strong new corporate look you’re after or just a wardrobe that is hassle free to fit in with your new lifestyle."
If you'd like to chat more with Joanne, please contact her on 0438 247 334 or joanne.becker@bigpond.com
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Women: the Antidote to the Financial Crisis
Following on from my article a few weeks ago about women being the ticket out of this current financial mess, here's more ... and juicy stats at their best.
"Women: the Antidote to the Financial Crisis" - so goes the headline for the article in Elle magazine, as well as Le Monde, presenting CERAM’s Professor Michel Ferrary’s research which shows that firms with a higher ratio of women in management have better resisted the financial crisis.
Nearly all of the French national press: Le Monde, Le Figaro, Libération, Les Echos, La Tribune, L’Express have run stories on Professor Ferrary’s research paper: “When Gender Diversity Protects Stock Prices from the Crash”. The international press is just beginning to pick up the trail on this story.
Michel Ferrary is a professor of Human Resources at CERAM.
Using data from companies in the CAC40 (equivalent to the FTSE 100 / Dow Jones), Professor Ferrary shows that the fewer women a company has in its management, the greater the drop in its share price since the beginning of the year; and the more women in management, the smaller the drop in share price.
Of French banks, BNP-Paribas has best resisted the crisis. Since January, its stock only decreased by 20% ; 38.7% of its managers are women. By comparison, Credit Agricole’s stock decreased by 50% and only 16% of its managers are women.
Firms with a highly feminized management like LVMH (56% female managers), Sanofi (44.8%) have gone down less than the CAC40. While stocks of more male-managed firms like Alcatel-Lucent (8.68% women), Renault (21.77% women) have fallen more than the CAC40.
“Feminization of management seems to be a protection against financial crisis. Currently, financial markets value firms that took less risk and are doing more stable business,” Explains Ferrary in his paper.
“Several gender studies have pointed out that women behave and manage in a different way than men. They tend to avoid risk and to focus more on a long term perspective. A larger proportion of female managers balances the risk taking behaviour of their male colleagues.”
Ferrary highlights two remaining questions:
• More female managers = better business performance ?
or:
• More gender diversity in management = better business performance ?
Media Source: various French press
"Women: the Antidote to the Financial Crisis" - so goes the headline for the article in Elle magazine, as well as Le Monde, presenting CERAM’s Professor Michel Ferrary’s research which shows that firms with a higher ratio of women in management have better resisted the financial crisis.
Nearly all of the French national press: Le Monde, Le Figaro, Libération, Les Echos, La Tribune, L’Express have run stories on Professor Ferrary’s research paper: “When Gender Diversity Protects Stock Prices from the Crash”. The international press is just beginning to pick up the trail on this story.
Michel Ferrary is a professor of Human Resources at CERAM.
Using data from companies in the CAC40 (equivalent to the FTSE 100 / Dow Jones), Professor Ferrary shows that the fewer women a company has in its management, the greater the drop in its share price since the beginning of the year; and the more women in management, the smaller the drop in share price.
Of French banks, BNP-Paribas has best resisted the crisis. Since January, its stock only decreased by 20% ; 38.7% of its managers are women. By comparison, Credit Agricole’s stock decreased by 50% and only 16% of its managers are women.
Firms with a highly feminized management like LVMH (56% female managers), Sanofi (44.8%) have gone down less than the CAC40. While stocks of more male-managed firms like Alcatel-Lucent (8.68% women), Renault (21.77% women) have fallen more than the CAC40.
“Feminization of management seems to be a protection against financial crisis. Currently, financial markets value firms that took less risk and are doing more stable business,” Explains Ferrary in his paper.
“Several gender studies have pointed out that women behave and manage in a different way than men. They tend to avoid risk and to focus more on a long term perspective. A larger proportion of female managers balances the risk taking behaviour of their male colleagues.”
Ferrary highlights two remaining questions:
• More female managers = better business performance ?
or:
• More gender diversity in management = better business performance ?
Media Source: various French press
Thursday, May 28, 2009
NEXT: Working Mothers Long Table - Sydney
I'm holding another Working Mother's Long Table at the gorgeous QVB Tea Rooms on Wednesday 17 June at 12 noon in Sydney.
This event is an opportunity to:
* access strategies for getting your head and heart back into your career and personal life
* create a network for business and personal support
* invest in your personal confidence and satisfaction as a mother and working parent, which is an investment in your family
Reported outcomes from past attendees include:
* Feel confident about your work & family choices
* Manage the pressure to 'performance parent' and get it right
* Be part of an intelligent working mother’s network
Please join me, the last event was such a worthwhile time and has led to further networking, business development and support opportunities.
More details and bookings - http://www.networkcentral.com.au/Parenting-Events-FullDetail.asp?EventID=309
This event is an opportunity to:
* access strategies for getting your head and heart back into your career and personal life
* create a network for business and personal support
* invest in your personal confidence and satisfaction as a mother and working parent, which is an investment in your family
Reported outcomes from past attendees include:
* Feel confident about your work & family choices
* Manage the pressure to 'performance parent' and get it right
* Be part of an intelligent working mother’s network
Please join me, the last event was such a worthwhile time and has led to further networking, business development and support opportunities.
More details and bookings - http://www.networkcentral.com.au/Parenting-Events-FullDetail.asp?EventID=309
Monday, May 25, 2009
Are you present?
Do you ever have the feeling that you're skimming the top of life's experiences - from the mundane to the meaningful - and your enjoyment and memory recall of those events is seriously poor?
I used to think a multi-tasking mum was a signature of success - cooking dinner, baby under one arm, phone cradled in the other - a scene from my daily existence.
I couldn't have been more wrong. I wasn't getting things done more efficiently, I was exhausted.
It was when one too many people asked me 'what have you been up to lately' and I continually drew a blank (in fact, I couldn't remember what I was going 5 mins ago, let alone yesterday or last week) that I knew something was amiss.
My baby girl is turning one tomorrow and for the life of me I don't know where it's gone.
If your life is going by in a blur of overwhelm, exhaustion, and "flat-out" frenzy, maybe you're not really living. I've now got to agree with the scientists on this one - multi-tasking isn't making you productive, on-top, and connected ... it's slowing you down.
I read a fabulous article in the latest issue of Vogue Australia if you want more stats (ie: proof) on what the researchers are saying on how your brain prefers to work and the role of your hippocampus in all of this. Suffice to say, our brains and bodies are more efficient, productive, creative and in-flow if we focus on one task at a time. Try it for one day.
By far the biggest bonus I'm experiencing in all of this is re-establishing presence. I'm feeling more connected with myself, my children and partner, and getting more work done in a more timely, satisfying and focused way. When I'm spending time with the kids or just doing mindless web surfing and online shopping, it's an experience I don't feel gets shoved into my day that's only half-done or laden with guilt.
So go on, ditch your crackberry, turn off your Facebook / Twitter auto alerts, go for a run without your iPod and I promise, you'll be more aware and might actually enjoy less time-tension and greater presence and life-recall along the way.
I used to think a multi-tasking mum was a signature of success - cooking dinner, baby under one arm, phone cradled in the other - a scene from my daily existence.
I couldn't have been more wrong. I wasn't getting things done more efficiently, I was exhausted.
It was when one too many people asked me 'what have you been up to lately' and I continually drew a blank (in fact, I couldn't remember what I was going 5 mins ago, let alone yesterday or last week) that I knew something was amiss.
My baby girl is turning one tomorrow and for the life of me I don't know where it's gone.
If your life is going by in a blur of overwhelm, exhaustion, and "flat-out" frenzy, maybe you're not really living. I've now got to agree with the scientists on this one - multi-tasking isn't making you productive, on-top, and connected ... it's slowing you down.
I read a fabulous article in the latest issue of Vogue Australia if you want more stats (ie: proof) on what the researchers are saying on how your brain prefers to work and the role of your hippocampus in all of this. Suffice to say, our brains and bodies are more efficient, productive, creative and in-flow if we focus on one task at a time. Try it for one day.
By far the biggest bonus I'm experiencing in all of this is re-establishing presence. I'm feeling more connected with myself, my children and partner, and getting more work done in a more timely, satisfying and focused way. When I'm spending time with the kids or just doing mindless web surfing and online shopping, it's an experience I don't feel gets shoved into my day that's only half-done or laden with guilt.
So go on, ditch your crackberry, turn off your Facebook / Twitter auto alerts, go for a run without your iPod and I promise, you'll be more aware and might actually enjoy less time-tension and greater presence and life-recall along the way.
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